One Last Heartbeat
by hsm4ever411
Summary: Troy and Gabriella have been going out since sophomore year and everything has been great. Now, its their senior year and Gabriella has been acting strange. Troyella Oneshot Please Review!


One Last Heartbeat

"Hey Bella! Where were you yesterday?!" said Troy while he was walking up to Gabriella. Gabriella gave Troy a weak smile. Troy finally got to her locker and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek

"Oh, I was at the doctor's," said Gabriella. Troy's expression went from happy to worry. Bella noticed this and added, "It was just a yearly check up thing." Troy blew out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, that's good. I thought it was something serious. Let's go to first period." said Troy.

"Okay," said Gabriella and with that, Troy grabbed her hand. They walked hand in hand to first period.

Everyone knew about the story of Troy and Gabriella. Gabriella and parents moved here, San Francisco, California, from Miami, Florida because of her father's job. They moved right across from Troy's house. When they first met, Gabriella thought that Troy was just another jock that was just going to break her heart, but when Troy first met her, he knew that he wanted to get to know her. Gabriella refused. He tried his best, he made she that she was comfortable her first days of school and made sure no one messed with her. Gabriella saw his caring side and decided to give it a shot. It was their sophomore year that they became a couple. Ever since, they have been inseparable, and it was now their senior year of high school.

After school finally let out for the day, Troy met up with Gabriella at her locker and offered her a ride home.

"Hey, do you want me to give you a ride? We could go to the park and have ice cream or something." asked Troy.

"Okay. Sure."

They walked to his car, and he opened the door for her. She thanked him. During the car ride there, Gabriella was really quiet. All she did was look out through the window staring into the sky. Troy has never seen her like this. She usually was very happy and talking about something that would make them both laugh. Then, he realized that she has been really distant this past week. Every time he saw her, she would always have an expressionless look on her face.

He took one hand of the steering wheel and grabbed one of her hands and held it. She turned her head away from the window and looked at him. She gave him a small smile, and he flashed a smile back. She just turned back to the window.

He gripped her hand and said, "Is there something wrong? You have been really distant these days."

Suddenly she said, "Everything is okay. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. Shoot."

"Do you love me?"

"You know that I love you more than anything. I love you to my very last heartbeat," said a confident Troy and he kissed her hand while still keeping an eye on the road.

"I love you too."

They finally got to the park. They ordered two cones, and Troy paid for them. They left the store and started to walk around the park. They talked about random things that made each other laugh.

Then, Gabriella asked, "How much do you care about me?"

Troy answered without hesitation, "I will be there for you through anything. I would give you the world in a heartbeat if I could."

"You would?"

"Of course, I love you with all my heart," he started to get worried, "Is something wrong that I don't know about?"

"No, everything is fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yea."

"Are you positively sure that there is nothing wrong?"

"No, of course not, I am just being really curious today. I am fine, you are fine, we're fine, everything is fine."

"Okay. You had me worried for a minute. Well, it is getting late. How about I take you home?"

"That would be great, " she said and gave him a kiss and they headed to his car. Inside her head, she wondered_... "How am I supposed to tell him that I might be dying?"_

The next day, he waited outside of her house to take her to school. She finally came out, and Troy stood up and gave her a hug. She kissed him, and they headed to school.

While they were in the car, Troy said, "Well, do you want to go out tonight?"

Gabriella smiled and replied, "Yea, what do you have in mind?"

"Um, how about I make reservations at that new restaurant in town?"

"You do too much for me!" said a very happy Gabriella.

"That's because you deserve it."

"Okay. Can you pick me up around 7?"

"Sure, anything for you."

They got to school and since school was about to end, people were selling yearbooks. Troy and Gabriella had already pre-ordered, so they went to the office to pick up theirs. They flipped through it and saw a picture of them together. They saw the heading above the picture. It said High School Love Birds and Prom King and Queen: Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez. Both of them blushed and laughed. They traded yearbooks to sign each others. They both wrote something sweet and romantic into each other's yearbook. Soon school ended, and nigh time took over the day. Troy dropped Gabriella at her house and he quickly went to his house to get ready for their date. He took a quick shower and put on a nice shirt and pants. He opened the top drawer and grabbed a small red velvet box and put it carefully in his pocket. It was 6:45, so he said good-bye to his parents and promised to be back before 12. He drove down the street to Gabriella's house. He knocked on the door and her mom opened the door. She told him to come in and called Gabriella to come down. She walked down the stairs a few minutes later. Troy smiled at her. He thought "She is so beautiful."

He said, "Wow! You look beautiful. I must be one lucky guy to have you."

She giggled and said, "Thank you! You look nice yourself. So, are you ready to go?"

He said, "Thank you. Oh yea, okay." He held out his hand and they headed to his car and left for the restaurant. When they finally got to the restaurant, they walked hand in hand to their table.

Gabriella started to wonder _"I have to tell him sooner or later. Better now then never I guess. I have to tell him before it is too late." _They finished their dinner and Troy ordered a slice of chocolate cake for them to share. She opened her mouth to say something, "Troy, I have--." She got interrupted by him.

"Gabriella, I know that we are really young, but I love you with all my heart," he held both her hands and went down on one knee, "I don't see any reason to not get married. We are both going off to college soon and living in an apartment together. Will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me? I can't see myself with anybody except you in my future." Troy got the red velvet box from his pocket and opened it.

Gabriella had tears in her eyes. She didn't know what to say. "I...I... I can't. I am sorry." After she said that, she got up and ran out of the restaurant. Troy reacted quickly. He threw money on the table and ran out after her. She was running down the sidewalk, and Troy quickly caught up with her. He grabbed her arm gently to make her stop running so quickly.

He said, "Hey, what's wrong? I understand if you want to wait. I will wait forever for you. You know that." He had tears in his eyes.

Gabriella said, "Nothing is wrong. I just..." She didn't finish what she was going to say. She passed out, but Troy caught her.

"Bella! Bella! You have to wake up. Okay, hold on there. I am going to call an ambulance." Quickly, Troy pulled out his phone, but before he got to dial any number, Gabriella spoke up.

"Don't call an ambulance. I am okay. Just let me sit down somewhere to catch my breath." whispered a very weak Gabriella.

"I don't know. Are you sure?" asked a worried Troy.

"Yes. I am absolutely positive."

"Okay," said Troy and he carried her, bridal style, to his car and he carefully put her in the passenger seat. Gabriella whispered a thank you but it was barely audible, but Troy understood and nodded his head. While they drove home, Gabriella was deep in thought. Many things were flying through her head: Why did I say no to his proposal? What is going to happen now? How am I supposed to tell him?

Troy sat there wondering many things too: Why did she pass out like that? What's going to happen from here? He looked over to look at Gabriella and so a single tear roll down her cheek. He leaned over and wiped the tear with the pad of his thumb.

She turned her head and said, "Thank You," Troy nodded and she continued, "Troy? I think we need to talk."

"Okay."

They finally arrive at Gabriella's house and Troy helped her into the house. She opened the door for them and walked into the house. There was a note on the counter that was from her mom. It said that she had to go to the office because something came up and that she would be home by eleven. Troy helped Gabriella to the sofa and put her down and ran into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. He quickly returned and gave it to her.

Gabriella sat up and gratefully took it from his hands. She took a couple of sips and placed the glass on the table. There was an awkward silence between them before Troy decided to speak up.

"Um well what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, you promise to still love me?" asked a nervous Gabriella.

"I promise. I love you with all my heart. You know that and I know that. Nothing is every going to change that," he grabbed her hands, "Okay, so tell me what's been bothering you?"

Gabriella thought for a second. _Maybe not telling him is for the best. Maybe if he forgets about me, he will have less to deal with and he will move on more easily._

"Um... I think we should break up," stuttered Gabriella.

Troy didn't know what to say. Did he hear this right? Did she just say that she wanted to break up? He thought that everything was fine between them. He said after a few minutes of silence, "Why? Did I do something wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong. I think that this is what's best for the both of us. Trust me, you didn't do anything wrong at all. Can we just be friends for now?"

"Um okay, if that is what you want," Troy started to tear up, "Just remember that I love you with all me heart and nothing can change that." He put his hand in his pocket to grab something. "Here," he put the small velvet box in her hand, "I want you to have this."

"No, Troy, you paid a lot of money for it. You keep it," she tried to give it back to him but he refused.

"No, you keep it. I bought it for you. Well, I will see you at school tomorrow," said Troy. He gave her a hug and left.

Gabriella sat there and cried. _Why did I break up with him? He was one of the best things that happened to me. No, stop thinking like that. What I did was for the best. He can move on with someone else now. _Gabriella got up and went to her room; she took a quick shower and put on some shorts and a simple shirt. She decided to look through her yearbook. She flipped through the pages and stopped when she came across the picture of her and Troy. She started crying again. Then, she remembered that she never read what Troy wrote. She scanned the page and finally found where Troy wrote. It said, _"Hey Bella! I love you with all my heart. I am glad that you and me got through the thick and thin of things and are still together. Love, Troy" _Gabriella closed the yearbook and cried even harder. She couldn't believe that she broke up with him. Then, she remembered that he gave her the ring. She grabbed the box from the nightstand and opened it. It w as the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. It was a silver ring with three diamonds in the middle. She turned the ring around and noticed something engraved on the inside. She turned it a little more and saw what it said, _Troy and Bella Forever_. She didn't know what to think anymore. Everything was going on too fast. She felt herself spinning. The last thing she remembered was falling on the floor and blackness took over.

At the same time, Troy was in his room. He had tears in his eyes. He wondered many things: Why did she break up with me? What did I do wrong? He gathered all his strength together and went to go take a shower. He went to bed and still had tears in his eyes. He couldn't sleep so he just laid there in bed thinking. He thought about all the fun stuff that they did together. He finally fell asleep.

The next day, he decided to take Gabriella to school like usual but just as friends. He changed clothes and ate a quick breakfast. He drove down the street a bit and finally got to her house. He knocked on the door and her mom answered the door.

"Hey Mrs. Montez, I was wondering if I could take Bella for some ice cream," said Troy.

"Um... I am sorry but Bella is in the hospital right now. When I got home last night, I went into her room and I saw her on the ground. I called an ambulance, and they took her too the hospital. I am just here to pick up some stuff for her."

Troy started to worry, "Do you know why she has been passing out a lot nowadays?"

"I don't know how to tell you. Maybe you should ask her yourself. She is at the St. John's Hospital in Room 212. Maybe you should go to school first and visit after."

Troy, speechless, said, "Okay, thank you Mrs. Montez. I will see you later."

"No problem Troy," she said and closed the door.

Troy walked to his car and drove to school. He thought about Gabriella: What's wrong with her? Is she sick? If she is, is that why she has been asking all of those questions? He decided that he wouldn't be able to concentrate if he went to school because his mind will be clouded about Gabriella and her health. He took his phone out and called his mom.

"Hello?" said Troy's mom, Jane.

"Um hey Mom, I was wondering if you could call the school and say that I won't be there today."

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"Well," said Troy and he explained what Mrs. Montez told him.

Jane replied, "Okay I understand. Well Troy, I raised you to do the right thing, and if you think this the right thing to do, then do it. Don't worry about school, I will call them later.

Troy said, "Thank you so much!"

"It's not a problem. You really do care about Gabriella, don't you?"

"I care so much about her, you don't even know it," replied Troy.

"I understand. Okay, I have to go and call your school. Bye."

"Bye," said Troy and he hung up the phone. He drove to St. John's Hospital and found a parking spot. He finally found one and got out of the car, locked it, and jogged to the entrance of the hospital. He got into the elevator and pressed the number 2. He got to the floor and quickly found Gabriella's room. He took a deep breath and opened the door. He saw Gabriella sleeping peacefully on the small hospital bed. He slowly walked up to the bed, and then, he pulled the chair over to the bedside to sit down. He gently grabbed one of her hands and held it.

"I am sorry that I wasn't there for you Bella. I am sorry for pressuring you into doing anything that you didn't want to do. I am really sorry for everything," said a sincere Troy. Troy tilted his head and stared at the floor and started tearing up.

Gabriella heard everything that he said. She turned around towards Troy, but he didn't notice. He still had his head tilted towards the ground sobbing. She took her other hand and held his head and pushed it up to face her. She said, "Hey..."

Troy smiled and said, "Hey yourself."

"Troy, you don't have to be sorry for anything. You didn't do anything. You loved me and cared for me and that's all I can ever ask for."

Troy said, "No your wrong Bella. I love you and care for you. Not past but present tense."

"Troy, I have to tell you something."

"Okay, I am hear, so tell me."

"The only reason I broke up with you is because I didn't want you to get hurt. The--."

"What's the reason that I would get hurt?"

"Let me finish. The reason is because I might be dying."

"What!?"

"Before I moved here, I had a failing heart. I had two weeks to live. Three days later, they found a donor. I was so relieved that I was able to live life. Then, my mom and dad decided to move here. After that, I met you and I thought life couldn't get any better. And, do you remember when I refused to go out with you? Well that's because, I didn't want to get too close to anybody because I didn't want that person to have their heartbroken if my heart fails again, but it's too late for that now. Then, two weeks ago, my chest started to hurt and my mom took me to the doctor. They said that my heart is probably failing again. They said that the chances of me getting a donor this time are very slim. They put me on medication and said that I might feel less drowsy. Last night, I was supposed to take one pill but forgot. That's why I fainted. The reason I broke up with you is because I didn't want you to worry too much. I wanted you to move on and not get so emotional over me when I am gone. That is the reason why I rejected your marriage proposal. I am sorry that I didn't tell you earlier. I just didn't want you to worry so much."

Troy took a deep breath and thought for a moment before saying anything. He said, "Is that's why you have been asking me all those questions?"

"Yea, I just wanted to hear you say that one more time before I..."

"No! Don't say that! You won't die. You can't," cried Troy.

"I am sorry Troy, but things happen."

"No, I can't accept it. You aren't supposed to die."

"You have to. I did and now...," she didn't finish what she said. She suddenly felt weak and closed her eyes.

"Bella? Bella?!" Troy gently shook her, but she didn't react. He ran out of the room, into the hallway. He yelled, "Doctor? I need some help! My girlfriend fainted."

Seconds later, a doctor and nurse rushed passed him and into the room. The doctor said, "Nurse Joy! We have to rush her into surgery! Please notify her parents immediately." The doctor said quickly and pushed Gabriella and the bed out of the room and into surgery.

Troy thought that this was happening too fast. He couldn't think at all. Then, he found the strength to ask the nurse what happened. "Excuse me, but do you know what happened to her?

"Um, yes, her heart stopped and now the doctor is in surgery trying to revive her. The surgery shouldn't be long. If you want you can wait in the waiting room until further news."

"Okay, thank you very much," he said. Then, he realized that he left his wallet in the room. He walked back into the room and looked for it. It was on the chair that he was sitting on. He leaned down to grab it and when he was coming back up, he noticed a box on the table by the chair. He took a few steps to get a closer look at it. He opened it, and saw the ring that he gave Gabriella. He closed it and put the box into his pocket then turned to leave the room.

30 minutes later

Gabriella's parents arrived with worried looks on their faces. Troy explained everything that happened. All three of them sat in the waiting room hoping that Gabriella was okay. Finally, the doctor came out. Troy was the first one up and asked, "Is she okay?"

"Well, I don't know how to say this. Gabriella is still alive but her heart is barely there. She is on life support right now. She needs to have a donor at least by tomorrow night or she won't be able to make it."

"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed both Mr and Mrs. Montez. Troy didn't say anything. Mrs. Montez started crying and Mr. Montez walked her over to the chair and tried to comfort her.

Troy said, "Can I go see her?"

"Yes, she is still in the same room."

"Thanks," said Troy and he walked into Gabriella's room. He pulled the chair over by the bed, just like the first time, and gently took her hand into his.

He started, "Hey Bella, even though you told me not to say this but I am really sorry. I wish I could take away all the pain that you are suffering and--."

Suddenly, the door opened and a doctor and nurse came in. He said, "Excuse me sir but we have to take her into emergency surgery. We found a donor."

"What are her chances of surviving this surgery since she just had a huge one earlier?" asked Troy.

"I don't know. But, I do know that she is a very strong person," grinned the doctor.

"Okay, well I will just go into the waiting room and wait."

"Okay, a nurse will keep you updated with what's going on."

"Thank you."

4 hours later

Gabriella's parents and Troy have been waiting for four hours. The surgery was still in progress. Troy went to go buy food for the three of them. He came back minutes later with food from a local diner.

"You have done so much for us and Gabriella," thanked Mrs. Montez. Mr. Montez nodded.

"Oh, it's nothing much. I just care a lot about Bella."

"We know, but still. So have you thought about what college you are going to next year?" asked Mr. Montez.

"Well, I was planning to go to NYU on a basketball scholarship, and major in law."

"That's great! Gabriella told me that she got accepted into NYU too on a chemistry scholarship."

"Yea, we planned on going to the same college and to live in an apartment together."

"Um, is there a family for Gabriella Montez?" said the doctor.

All three of them stood up, and they followed the nurse into a private hallway. The doctor said, "The surgery went perfectly!" Mrs and Mr. Montez and Troy blew a sigh of relief. "But she is very weak. The anesthesia is still wearing off. She should be awake by tomorrow morning. And, we want to do a few more tests on her to see if everything is okay. She should be able to go home by tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay, that is no problem at all. Can we go see her?" asked Mrs. Montez.

"Yes but two at a time."

"Okay, Thank you Doctor."

"Your welcome."

"I think that you and Mr. Montez should go first."

"If that is okay with you Troy."

"Yea, it is not that big of a deal."

They went into Gabriella's room and stayed for about thirty minutes and finally came out. They told Troy that she woke up and was asking for you. They also told him that they were going to head home and be back tomorrow morning, bright and early. They bid their good byes. Troy walked into the room and saw Gabriella laying on the bed starring out into the sky through the window. He said, "It's a beautiful night tonight, isn't it?"

Gabriella turned and said, "Yea, it is." She turned to the clock by the bedside and it read: 12:45. She turned back to Troy, "What are you still doing her? It's really late, and there is school tomorrow. You shouldn't worry about me too much."

Troy sighed and sat down and gently grabbed her hand. He said, "Bella, I love you with all my heart. I promised you that I would be here for you through thick and thin and that's what I am doing. I don't care if I have school tomorrow. I don't care about how late it's getting late. All I care about is you right now." When he finished, Gabriella had tears in her eyes. She just didn't know what to say.

"Bella, say something."

"I love you so much Troy!" she exclaimed, still with tears in her eyes, and gave him a big hug and kiss.

"I love you too and I really missed you," said an also crying Troy. They stayed like this until Troy pulled away. He pulled the small velvet box from his pants pocket and got down on one knee, and said, "Okay, I know that this isn't very romantic and all, but I am going to try this again. Gabriella Marie Montez, I love you with all my heart. You make me see the real me, and I can't live without you. So, will you do the honor in marrying me?"

Gabriella yelled, "Yes! I will marry you Troy Christopher Bolton!" she gave him a huge huge and a kiss. Troy had a huge smile on his face. He pulled the ring out of the box and slid it on her left index finger.

"You just made me the happiest man on the planet earth Bella," said Troy, who was still smiling like a 4 year old on Christmas Day.

"And you just made me the happiest woman on earth."

"I promise that you and me will be together through anything life takes us," stated Troy.

"You promise?"

"I promise, and do you promise that you will tell me anything that is bothering you from now on?"

"I promise," said Gabriella and she kissed him quickly on the lips. "And by the way, I love you."

Troy said, "I love you too. I love you to my very last heartbeat."

The End


End file.
